Woonsocket has an passing attendance rate in terms of grades, though chronic absence could be a problem, and the graduation statistics for the high schools need to be improved on when one looks at it with eyes from the outside, unclear world. Just over 12,000 average is spent per pupil of the school--a number that seems like a lot for free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a mound of pencils, but may fall short for sound and diverse curriculum. Woonsocket, thus, fails to be phenomenal or detestable in terms of educating its students. Mediocre might not be the right word either. Woonsocket has room to improve, just like Rhode Island does as a whole.
The district of Woonsocket has a encouraging attendance rate of 92% in elementary school (despite being 3% below the state), 90% (94%) for middle schools, and a somewhat discouraging rate of only 85% for high school (compared to the states attendance rate of 92%). Overall, the attendance rate of all Woonsocket schools is 89% compared to 94% for the state, a 5% difference. What is especially concerning is the drop out rate of 22.1% which represents nearly a quarter of the students. This is foreshadowed by the statistic that 38% of students are said to be chronically absent. The four year graduation rate of Rhode Island is a fairly mediocre 77.2%, but Woonsocket's dismal percentage of students succeeding in graduating on time sinks lower, at 62.5%. Only 71.3% of students graduate in five years (as opposed to 80.2% of students in Rhode Island in general. RI barely passing with a B if you look at in terms of "grades"). Incidents of suspension for Elementary School children total at 186 students, jumping to 3091 in middle school, and rising to a total of 4287 student suspensions in high school. Time spent suspended is precious time the students aren't learning.
An average of $12,362 is spent per pupil--which can be compared to the $14,347 spent per Central Falls student and the $14,086 spent on East Greenwich students. Interestingly enough, Central Falls spends more per pupil then both East Greenwich and Woonsocket, despite the fact that their median income is the lowest at $26,844 (compared to Woonsockets median income of 38,353.
Seventy percent of students in Woonsocket qualify for subsidized lunches, forty-four percent of students in Rhode Island overall qualify. Two percent more students (6% versus 8%) in Woonsocket receive bilingual services when compared with RI as a whole. Twenty percent, versus 16% in Rhode Island overall, of Woonsocket students are enrolled in some sort of special education program or receive a special education service.
As far as performance on NECAPS goes, Woonsocket did worse than RI as a whole in all grades tested (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th) and all subjects tested (reading, math, science, writing). Woonsocket students go from having just a 7% gap in math achievement in fourth grade (65% versus 58%) to a discouraging 14% gap in 11th grade math (30% versus 16%.--which is dismal results as is). Even more concerning is science achievement results--43% RI versus 28% Woonsocket in fourth grade, 26% RI to 9% for science in 11th grade. Gaps and less than optimal achievement results are similar in both reading and writing as well.
Woonsocket definitely has room to improve their students achievements in and attitudes about school. Would programs help spark attendance rates to a rise? Would new curriculum or a larger budget help spur students to succeed? Perhaps the further investigation of the charter school, Beacon Charter's, statistics. Maybe the fact that they sometimes stray from the curriculum in public schools could provide insight to whether the curriculum needs improvement and how it can be improved to better the district's results.
Woonsocket District Summary
21 October 2012Kelley Carpenter
Woonsocket has an passing attendance rate in terms of grades, though chronic absence could be a problem, and the graduation statistics for the high schools need to be improved on when one looks at it with eyes from the outside, unclear world. Just over 12,000 average is spent per pupil of the school--a number that seems like a lot for free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a mound of pencils, but may fall short for sound and diverse curriculum. Woonsocket, thus, fails to be phenomenal or detestable in terms of educating its students. Mediocre might not be the right word either. Woonsocket has room to improve, just like Rhode Island does as a whole.
The district of Woonsocket has a encouraging attendance rate of 92% in elementary school (despite being 3% below the state), 90% (94%) for middle schools, and a somewhat discouraging rate of only 85% for high school (compared to the states attendance rate of 92%). Overall, the attendance rate of all Woonsocket schools is 89% compared to 94% for the state, a 5% difference. What is especially concerning is the drop out rate of 22.1% which represents nearly a quarter of the students. This is foreshadowed by the statistic that 38% of students are said to be chronically absent. The four year graduation rate of Rhode Island is a fairly mediocre 77.2%, but Woonsocket's dismal percentage of students succeeding in graduating on time sinks lower, at 62.5%. Only 71.3% of students graduate in five years (as opposed to 80.2% of students in Rhode Island in general. RI barely passing with a B if you look at in terms of "grades"). Incidents of suspension for Elementary School children total at 186 students, jumping to 3091 in middle school, and rising to a total of 4287 student suspensions in high school. Time spent suspended is precious time the students aren't learning.
An average of $12,362 is spent per pupil--which can be compared to the $14,347 spent per Central Falls student and the $14,086 spent on East Greenwich students. Interestingly enough, Central Falls spends more per pupil then both East Greenwich and Woonsocket, despite the fact that their median income is the lowest at $26,844 (compared to Woonsockets median income of 38,353.
Seventy percent of students in Woonsocket qualify for subsidized lunches, forty-four percent of students in Rhode Island overall qualify. Two percent more students (6% versus 8%) in Woonsocket receive bilingual services when compared with RI as a whole. Twenty percent, versus 16% in Rhode Island overall, of Woonsocket students are enrolled in some sort of special education program or receive a special education service.
As far as performance on NECAPS goes, Woonsocket did worse than RI as a whole in all grades tested (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th) and all subjects tested (reading, math, science, writing). Woonsocket students go from having just a 7% gap in math achievement in fourth grade (65% versus 58%) to a discouraging 14% gap in 11th grade math (30% versus 16%.--which is dismal results as is). Even more concerning is science achievement results--43% RI versus 28% Woonsocket in fourth grade, 26% RI to 9% for science in 11th grade. Gaps and less than optimal achievement results are similar in both reading and writing as well.
Woonsocket definitely has room to improve their students achievements in and attitudes about school. Would programs help spark attendance rates to a rise? Would new curriculum or a larger budget help spur students to succeed? Perhaps the further investigation of the charter school, Beacon Charter's, statistics. Maybe the fact that they sometimes stray from the curriculum in public schools could provide insight to whether the curriculum needs improvement and how it can be improved to better the district's results.
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